Comparing Aguri And The Thief

The transition between Meiji Japan and Liberal era Japan experienced growth by leaps and bounds, especially in politics and economics. Japan rose from a country under the unequal treaties to a one that was viewed as an equal by the most powerful countries of the West (Reischauer 189). Unfortunately, this was because it followed in their footsteps by becoming an imperialist nation through victories in the Sino-Japanese and Russo-Japanese wars (Reischauer 185 - 187). This allowed them to access resources that contributed to the growth of the economy, in addition to its integration into the world economy (Reischauer 194). In terms of politics, more and more political parties began to form, and tensions between the oligarchs of the cabinet and
the representatives of the diet increased, making politics much more complicated than it used to be (Reischauer 178). The Seiyukai party rose to power and its leader, Hara Kei, became the first prime minister, and one of the first leaders that did not have a samurai background, and more positions in the executive branch were taken over by elected officials (Reischauer 227). This is a victory for individualism as well, as a commoner was able to climb the ranks without any domination over his self-determination.
Consumer culture is another new development as Japan continued to modernize, and this greatly influenced the social dynamics of Liberal era Japan. This is represented by Tanizaki Junichiro’s “Aguri” and “The Thief”. Both stories illustrate a Japan with more freedoms, which bring with it criminality and a superficial, avaricious culture. “Aguri” follows a couple that shops in Ginza and Yokohama. The only thing the main character, Okada, does is purchase things for Aguri, his girlfriend, and have sexual fantasies. This conception of love is a huge shift from the love that Daisuke and Michiyo share in And Then; while they have the freedom to date around and be with whoever they want to be, there does not seem be be any substance to this relationship. “The Thief” is narrated by a young man living among other boys in a dormitory, and they are all trying to figure out who is stealing their belongings. The thief turns out to be the narrator himself, who claims that he can’t help this habit (Tanizaki
183). The larger theme in this tale is criminality, which the narrator suggests may be inside of everyone, and also has hints of the double structured economy of this time period (Tanizaki 175). The emergence of a more material society with more individual freedoms seem to have actually created new forms of injustice and immoral acts, indicating that maybe this new society of the Liberal era is not much better than the group-oriented Meiji period.
Nevertheless, Japan continued down the path of individualism with a feminist movement starting in 1911.
At this time several brave women came to challenge the “good wife, wise mother” ideology and redefine femininity through a feminist magazine called the “Blue Stockings”. They published many short stories that directly critiqued and violated the feminine ideals put forth by the Meiji Civil Code, and the fact that they were able to do this shows that Japan is more open to changing social and traditional norms. One short story, “A Woman Writer” by Tamura Toshiko, is about a female writer who is in an unhappy marriage with a sexist author. The woman has violent tendencies and lashes out at her husband after he criticizes her writing, which would be unheard of under the Meiji Constitution (Handout #8, pg. 8). Shortly after, however, she feels incredibly guilty and calls herself a “bad woman”, showing that she is still under the influence of neo-traditional ideologies (Handout #8, pg. 3). A notable scene in this story is a flashback to a conversation the woman writer had with her friend, who talks about her individualism and her marriage: “Even though I am getting married, I will remain myself, I am I. The love I have is not the sake of anyone else. It’s for myself. It’s my love” (Handout #8, pg. 3). This quote challenges the Meiji notion that women are property that are meant to be bartered through arranged marriages. There is also a hint of romanticism, as the girl repeatedly
claims that it is her own love, yet her willingness to remain herself and by herself, instead of giving everything to her man, was a new feminist concept of individualism for women specifically. “The Female Bell-Cricket” by Nakamoto Takako was a much bolder challenge to the expectations of women at this time. The main character, Tomoko, manipulates her lover into spending the little money they have so she can eat like a queen (Handout #8, pg. 7). Tomoko is illustrated as a strong-willed and manipulative women, while Miki, her lover, is timid and obedient to her, so the ideal roles dictated by the Meiji are reversed. Additionally, Tomoko willingly sells her body for money, which is undoubtedly worse than cheating by the Meiji Civil Code (Handout #8, pg. 9). Everything about this story is extremely progressive and definitely offensive to anti-feminist conservatives, and is a graphic representation of female anger towards the masterminds behind their oppression. Despite the introduction of feminism in literature, activists had to fight for decades before universal suffrage was granted in Japan. Regardless, the emergence of a feminist ideology shows how far individual freedoms have come in such a short time.